Post-carbon Form

Modern architecture and urbanism have been shaped by carbon form- structures, materials, and spatial systems rooted in fossil-fuel capitalism and growth-driven metrics. This thesis proposes a radical decoupling from that paradigm through the concept of post-carbon form: an architecture no longer determined by extractive logics and instead operates within a regenerative logic that produces a new formal, material, and spatial language aligned with planetary limits. Set within the decommissioned El Segundo Refinery, the project reimagines the site as a cultural park that unfolds over time through phases of remediation, informal activation, and long-term transformation. At its core is the adaptive reuse of oil storage tanks- iconic remnants of the carbon landscape- reimagined as vessels for post-carbon form. This project critiques the legacy of carbon form while speculating on ways of inhabiting the built environment in an era of decarbonization and ecological regeneration.